Town is legacy of an inventor's vision

By JOHN IWASAKI
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Town history stretches back to the late 19th century. The area was named Sidney after Illinois inventor Sidney Stevens, who bought 88.5 acres for $900 in 1885.

The logging town was incorporated in 1890 and operated steam sawmills, shingle mills and a four-story pottery and terra cotta plant.

Sidney's name was changed to Port Orchard in 1903 to honor Harry Masterman Orchard, who navigated Sinclair Inlet under the command of 18th-century British explorer Capt. George Vancouver.

Earlier this century, hundreds of ferries crossed the waters and were dubbed the "Mosquito Fleet" for their resemblance to a swarm of bugs.

Among the Port Orchard passengers were workers at the naval shipyards at Bremerton across Sinclair Inlet. The outbreak of World War II brought 30,000 workers and their families to the Bremerton-Port Orchard area.

The Horluck Transportation Co. alone carried 16,000 passengers a day between Port Orchard and Bremerton during the war years. Horluck remains the last survivor of the Mosquito Fleet era, offering passenger-only service between the two port communities, a trip lasting 10 minutes.

The foot ferry also is part of the commuter link for Port Orchard residents who ride the one-hour Bremerton ferry to jobs in Seattle.

Next to the foot ferry dock is the Port Orchard marina, which was destroyed by a storm in 1996 and rebuilt. The marina is home to 340 permanently moored boats and about 150 visiting vessels.